Applicator for liquids



May 21, 1963 .1. smoNs APPLICATOR FOR LIQUIDS Filed Dec. 7, 1961 United States Patent M 3,090,070 APPLICATOR FOR LIQUIDS Jack Simons, 61 Mount Ephraim Road, Streatham, London SW. 16, England Filed Dec. 7, 1961, Ser. No. 157,804 Claims priority, application Great Britain Apr. 18, 1961 2 Claims. (Cl. 15-541) This invention relates to applicators for liquid and pasty materials, its object being to provide a construction, of the kind wherein the material is fed to a set of bristles, resulting in improved control of the feed of the material.

According to the invention, an applicator for liquid and pasty materials comprises a bristle mount, a set of bristles carried by the mount and disposed such that they are spaced at their supported ends and meet or overlap at or near their free ends thereby to define with the mount an enclosure for the reception of material to be applied to the bristles, and passage means in or on the mount for the feeding of material to said enclosure. Liquid or pasty material fed to said enclosure tends to be retained therein, and in the bristles, until such time as the applicator is used to brush the material onto or into a surface to receive it.

The passage means may comprise one or a number of passages positioned in or on the mount to direct a stream or streams of the material onto the bristles internally of the enclosure and at or near the free ends of the bristles.

The bristles may be arranged in an elongated loop, for example as bundles disposed at intervals in an elongated loop which may be an oval or ellipse or rectangular pattern. The bristles, or bundles of bristles, could be arranged with their bases on the opposed longer sides and inwardly inclined such that the tips interlock, whereby an enclosure of approximately triangular cross-section is formed.

Delivery passages for the material are preferably arranged centrally and symmetrically between the bristle bases.

Preferably each delivery passage is positioned in relation to a bundle of bristles to direct the material directly onto the bundle.

Where the bundles of bristles are arranged along two sides of an elongated rectangle the relatively narrow ends of the enclosure may be wholly or partly closed off by other bundles of bristles.

In a first construction, the mount has a recess opening into the enclosure, the delivery passage means passing through the mount to the base of the recess, which may serve as a reservoir for collecting any drops of material remaining on the bristles after use and draining down if the applicator is left upright. Such recess may be an elongated trough of rectangular cross-section.

The upper wall of the mount, having the delivery passages is preferably of a minimum thickness thereby to avoid blocking by dried deposits. Advantageously the passages are tapered outwardly to facilitate clearance.

In a second construction, the delivery passage means are formed close to the free ends of the bristles where such bristles meet or overlap, i.e. that part which tends to perform most of the spreading action, whereby material emerging from the feed passage means is presented substantially immediately onto the bristles. The transfer of material to the bristles in an even manner is thereby facilitated. The mount may carry a distributor protruding into the enclosure formed by the bristles, said distributor being formed at its end remote from the mount with passages for feeding the material. To permit the feed passages to be placed very close to where the bristles meet or overlap the distributor may be tapered at that end.

The distributor may be a single element with one or more holes, or two or a series of pipes. In a preferred 3,000,070 Patented May 21, 1963 form, the distributor is a hollow elongated stem the top end wall of which has feed passages, which may correspond with the bunches of bristles.

Such top portions may be engaged with a bulk supply device, a resiliently compressible bottle, a pressure-fed bottle, or an aerosol container. The mount may be formed as a threaded cap for engagement onto the neck of a bulk-supply device, and may have a skirt depending internally adjacent the threading to abut internally against the neck of said device so as to seal the threading against entry of the material.

Two embodiments in accordance with the invention are hereinafter particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a first embodiment suitable for use with liquids in the treatment of the hair, e.g. tinting, colouring, and permanent waving solutions.

FIG. 2 is a plan view, with bristles omitted to show a detail of feed passages.

FIG. 3 is a corresponding partial side elevation, viewed in a direction at right angles to that of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a partial side elevation, partially in section, of a second embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a partial plan view of the second embodiment, with bristles omitted to show a detail of feed passages.

In FIGS. 1 to 3, the assembly consists of a resiliently compressible squeeze bottle 1 formed at its neck with an external thread 2 to receive an internally threaded top portion 3. Within the top portion, at its lower part, there is formed integrally a depending skirt 4 which abuts against the interior of the bottle 1 and prevents access of the material to the threading. It may also facilitate even flow of material to the passages. At the upper part of the top 3 it is formed with an upstanding central boss 5 of elongated shape. The boss has a series of sockets 6 in which are secured, in any convenient manner, bundles 7 of bristles. The sockets 6 are arranged generally in two parallel lines, with one at each end to define an enclosure, and the bundles 7 of bristles are inclined inwardly to meet and interlock at their free end as seen in FIG. 1. Centrally within the enclosure the boss 5 carries an upwardly projecting hollow stem 8 the upper end of which is tapered off at both sides permitting it to lie between and closely adjacent to the bristle ends. The narrowed top wall 9 has a row of passages 10 corresponding to the bundles at one side. The stem 8 is preferably made as a push-fit insert into the boss 5 so that various stems 8 having different size, spacing and number of passages 10 may be inserted according to the nature of the material.

The bottle 1 may conveniently be moulded in a trans parent or translucent plastic material and may have a liquid-volume scale 11.

In FIGS. 4 and 5, the assembly comprises a squeeze bottle 12 threaded at its neck to receive an internally threaded top 13 with a central boss 14 having a row of sockets 15 for bristles 16 inserted in similar manner. The stem 8 of FIGS. 1 to 3 is omitted, and the boss 14 is instead provided with a trough '17. A series of passages 18 are formed between the interior of the top 13 and the base of the trough 17. The number and positioning of passages 18 corresponds to the bundles of bristles along one side of the boss 14. The upper wall of the boss 14 is preferably made very thin and the internal surface of the boss, at 19, is curved to lead the material readily towards the passages 18.

The size of the passages 18 may be varied in accordance with the viscosity of the material. A number of interchangeable tops 13, with passages and bristles of different nature, could be utilized with a squeeze bottle 12.

The moulded top portions, in both embodiments, would preferably be rigid so as to give adequate support to the bristle bundles. t

For brushing liquids into and through the hair, the bristles are preferably made relatively stiff so as to readily separate the strands of hair and pass between them. Where it is desired only to spread a, liquid externally on the hair (or other surface) the bristles may be made softer.

Such an applicator provides an accurate control of the liquid applied, because it passes firstly to the bristles and thereafter is dispensed onto a surface to be treated, instead of being passed directly onto the surface and there after merely spread about by the bristles. When the applicator is used in conjunction with a squeeze bottle, the liquid is fed directly to the bristles and the flow required is readily judged both by the feel of the brushing action, and by sight.

Such applicators are not restricted to hair-dressing but can be used in other circumstances, eg, for paints. They are particularly effective where the liquid tends to dryout and set hard when exposed to the air, because the bottle is substantially sealed and very little loss of solvent will occur by vaporization through the very small passages 10, 18.

I claim:

1. A device for applying thin liquids, such as colouring liquids, to the hair, of the kind comprising a bristle mount for a resilient container, a set of bristles projecting from the mount, and passage means in the mount for feeding the liquids to the bristles, characterized in that:

(a) the bristles are relatively stifi and are arranged in bundles forming a narrow, elongated, closed loop the sides of which are straight and parallel, the bundles of bristles forming one side being oifset relative to the bundles of bristles forming the other side and all of the bundles of bristles including the bristles forming the end portions of the closed loop being set at an inclination in the mount such that the tips of the bristles converge, meet, and interengage to form a continuous linear bristle edge;

(b) a hollow distributor is carried on the mount, is

tapered at an end remote from the mount and is positioned so as to extend into and along the length of the enclosure formed by the bristles, the distributor having a plurality of apertures arranged in a line at the end which extends into the enclosure for feeding of the thin liquid directly to the point adjacent to the tips of the bristles in several streams.

2. A device for applying thin liquids, such as colouring liquids, to the hair, as claimed in claim 1, further characterized in that the apertures of the distributor are positioned directly opposite to the bristles of one of the rows.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 823,458 Abbott June 12, 1906 951,991 Hase Mar. 15, 1910 1,650,732 Wilson Nov. 29, 1927 2,532,110 lenz Nov. 28, 1950 2,698,452 Osrow Jan. 4, 1955 2,832,981 Breuhan May 6, 1958 

1. A DEVICE FOR APPLYING THIN LIQUIDS, SUCH AS COLOURING LIQUIDS, TO THE HAIR, OF THE KIND COMPRISING A BRISTLE MOUNT FOR RESILIENT CONTAINER, A SET OF BRISTLES PROJECTING FROM THE MOUNT, AND PASSAGE MEANS IN THE MOUNT FOR FEEDING THE LIQUIDS TO THE BRISTLES, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT: (A) THE BRISTLES ARE RELATIVELY STIFF AND ARE ARRANGED IN BUNDLES FORMING A NARROW, ELONGATED, CLOSED LOOP THE SIDES OF WHICH ARE STRAIGHT AND PARALLEL, THE BUNDLES OF BRISTLES FORMING ONE SIDE BEING OFFSET RELATIVE TO THE BUNDLES OF BRISTLES FORMING THE OTHER SIDE AND ALL OF THE BUNDLES OF BRISTLES INCLUDING THE BRISTLES FORMING THE END PORTIONS OF THE CLOSED LOOP BEING SET AT AN INCLINATION IN THE MOUNT SUCH THAT THE TIPS OF THE BRISTLES CONVERGE, MEET, AND INTERENGAGE TO FORM A CONTINUOUS LINEAR BRISTLE EDGE; (B) A HOLLOW DISTRIBUTOR IS CARRIED ON THE MOUNT, IS TAPERED AT AN END REMOTE FROM THE MOUNT AND IS POSITIONED SO AS TO EXTEND INTO AND ALONG THE LENGTH OF THE ENCLOSURE FORMED BY THE BRISTLES, THE DISTRIBUTOR HAVING A PLURALITY OF APERTURES ARRANGED IN A LINE 